Whew. This has been a rough week. The country divided. The church seems divided. Some Americans are on high. Others struggling to answer questions that seem to have no answers. The random acts of violence – from both camps. And, hatred spewed- from both camps. It’s disheartening.

If we are not careful it can seem as though allis lost and hopeless. It is not. It can feel as though things are allbad. It is not. I thought of the irony of restarting my weekly “Best Moments” last week. How it is fairly easy to see the best moments of life when things are going relatively well. But, when things are a bit more challenging than we would like, we get sucked into the vortex of hopelessness.

So, as I promised, I will continue to seek out the best moments from my week and share them with you. Again, in hopes that you you strive to do the same.

Best Moment

I was feeling a bit under the weather earlier this week – congested, achy, exhausted. For moms (and dads I would imagine) that can be challenging, because regardless of how you may feel, life still has to go on. And, children don’t always get it. That morning, the kids piled up in our bed with me, as they often do. They were disappointed when they heard that they couldn’t snuggle because I didn’t want to pass it on to them. Bella comes closer, lays her head on my chest, looked into my eyes with her bright doting eyes, and this sweet smile and says, “It’s ok Mommy, I take care of you. Me won’t get sick, Mommy, me promise, Me won’t get sick.” Unfortunately, she did. But now we can snuggle uninterrupted. But, pray for sweet girl.

Best Video:

When we find ourselves on opposing (or even neutral) sides, it is tempting ignore the good in others. Our natural desire is to prove ourselves right. If we are angry, we want to stay angry. If we disagree, we refuse to listen to voices of reason, to dialogue, to listen. I get that. I have done that. I do that. But, I’ve seen (particularly with marriage), when we live like that, all sides lose. A house divided cannot stand – regardless of the house. I’ve been pondering that. I came across this video yesterday. My first thought was, “Yes. Yessss! This is great”. But, honestly, that was quickly followed by, “But, I don’t want to pray.” Really? Not pray? It’s sad how quickly our hearts can turn towards evil. Is it better to stay angry or trust that God can turn hearts and spare people? While God has put me in my own circle of people that I am connected to in various ways, I am far removed from the leadership of this country. I have no power over them BUT prayer. So with that, I will join him.

Best Movie:

Literally, as I type this, I am watching The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe* on Netflix (the book series by C.S. Lewis is one of my favorites for both me and kids*). If you’ve watched it, you may remember the twists and turns in the story, the moments of hopelessness. I am currently watching the scene when the Snow Queen stabs Aslan. But, what comes later in the movie is a wonderful reminder to not give up hope – that things aren’t always what they seem. While I will not share too much of the story to limit spoilers, I will say one of the girls is standing and cheering.

So, as we move into the weekend, I encourage you to review your week. Look beyond the hardships, the struggles, disagreements. You may have to dig deeper than usual depending on what is going on in your life. But look, you may be surprised by some of your best moments.